@jake – to us it doesnt sound that bad. but as a company you dont want any negative feedback floating around on the web, especially from something as big as espn. so zuffa will defend themselves every way they can.

Lorenzo is intelligent as hell. he handled the interviewer, imo. and i side with dana on this one. there is no excuse for espn to pay SO LITTLE to those guys on friday night fights. when fertita called espn out right there, man, those number were startling.

The UFC is shady but backed by badass lawyers and capital zufa.You do have to kiss dana white’s fat ass if you want a bonus. Can you imagine getting paid minimum wage(around $7.40 an hour)which would be legal if you were risking brain damage or serious health injuries? I think dana white is just projecting his shady business practices on ESPN. One sided, PLEAZ! Why are only matt serra, chuck lidell, and forest griffin speaking for the UFC? What would jon fitch, randy couture, and dan henderson say?

Hopefully this will educate people on how business is run at the UFC and haters will finally get it. They are a well run company that makes money and spreads it nicely and at the same time are focused on MMA as a sport so that it can spread. What’s the problem? Look what happened to Elite XC. Money alone doesn’t make anything work. You need intelligence and drive behind that money. Fakers who just want to make a buck will come crashing. The UFC has done so well because they have a passion for the sport behind the money. Think about if fighters had to pre sale tickets only showcasing their fight. What would someone like Rani Yahya pull in compared to Anderson Silva? Or even a lesser name like Jake Ellenberger? The UFC doesn’t take a percentage of fighters sponsorship pay, yet creates and produces the events in which make those sponsorships viable. Lets get on the level.

espn isnt all that wrong. You guys do know ufc owns strikeforce/ufc where does a fighter go really if the ufc doesnt like them? Bellator? Also look at roy nelson last payday vs cro cop he made 10,000 that does not make sense at all. Roy nelson should be making at least 80,000 plus a fight by now. Most people that come off the the ultimate fighter show that are not finalists make 16,000 there first fight. Dont get me wrong ufc does good too but some fighters are getting screwed period and theres not too many organizations beside strikeforce or the ufc. For example paul daley wouldnt be in strikeforce if the ufc bought strikeforce before they released pau daley.

Like not to show im bias some good things the ufc has done is given people a place to fight and also they pay so all of there fighters can make a decent living. The performance thing makes sense and the bonus. They also helped out bums like ken shamrock and tito ortiz. They help out the army. Another thing too is they basically saved strikeforce it was in the hole and was going under so those fighters would of been screwed. So all the fighters and such would be without a job expecially the female ones. My points on the above comment were my own sorry espn had none of those besides about the monopoly and them not paying any of there fighters which is dumb.

It’s total BS… why would you expect ESPN to tell the whole story in a 9 minute bit… they are going to air whatever sounds like the biggest *story* to viewers. It’s horsesh!t. The UFC isn’t perfect, and I used to denounce them all the time, but they are doing it right these days. You can’t believe that anyone who fights their ass off for that company gets the shaft when it’s pay day. Shame on ESPN.

It’s bad if you look at it in a certain way; ESPN is certainly attacking in the interview, I also don’t think that is the version ESPN aired.

What bothers me the most is that a lot of folks that work in ESPN are in no way shape or form, “bad” journalist and can wrap their heads around what the UFC is and what’s going on but they don’t seem to realize that it’s still a young sport that doesn’t garner as much revenue as the NFL, NBA and MLB, where they can pay their athletes, millions to compete. It’s ridiculous to ask the UFC how come a lot of athletes are making so little; it’s almost in the same category as doing the same piece with the WNBA or AFL.

Everything needs its counterbalance. You only get as good (and transparent in this case) as your enemy makes you be, hence ESPN existence is good for the UFC since it compels Dana to act more legally than what at first he may desire. The hell with monopolies, the dictatorships of the business world.

That UFC fighter “source” the interviewer has sure sounds like a bitch to me.I think the bonus system is good.And I never saw a guy getting a bonus where I thought he didnt deserved it.Every KO of the night,Sub of the night and fight of the night are not contreversial and never were imo.That guy saying you need to kiss their ass to get a bonus must be a boring fighter who takes people down holds them and never passes,strikes,or attempts subs on his opponent.

I like the way ESPN put the question to Fretitta regarding the UFC fight fee’s and annual profits and Lorenzo gave some sort of answer without actually giving a number (as no company on earth would do so) then fires back by reminding ESPN about their pay structure for fighters and ESPN’s profit margins for last year !!! Dont F!@k with the Frittata’s – they are Gangsters !!

The UFC is a BUSINESS just like in the corporate world, you only have the skills to work in the mail room? Guess what you earn shit, you have skills to make the company money? You’re going to make some bank (which benifits the company and EVERYONE in it).

MMA is not a 9-5 job. Sorry, but you either make it through talent or you don’t. If you’re making 6,000 a fight and not thankful or exceeding that, then this is probably not the sport for you, or its not your time yet, because some because start to rise later in their careers. If your name grows, your sponsorships start to come in and everything else that comes along with it.

Lorenzo did do a great job. I have an issue with the monopoly aspect of it. that is what ESPN seemed to focus on. Yes, the UFC does take care of its fighters and thats great. The UFC do not want to admit they are a monopoly and they dont see themselves that way (because they just outclassed every other org., which is true.) But Microsoft got treated as a monopoly and they were jsut better than everone else. IDK, its very interesting though.

I’m sorry but what people forget if you don’t like the pay go get a job obviously it’s not that bad of money if you want to keep fighting, the UFC did not beg anyone to become a fighter especially in the times that we are in now if you have a job stop bitching cause some people don’t, and the edited version and the whole version paint to different pictures I’m glad the UFC records their own version and the interviewer did not like it

Exactly. This recording of the actual interview should be standard operating procedure for everyone. ESPN can try to spin it they way they want cuz they’re butt hurt by the Fox deal, but the real interview is available in its entirety for everyone.